Paul’s Devilish Roasted Chicken

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This roast chicken recipe with pizzazz is practically a meal in one.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup Devil Drops

  • Juice of 1 lemon

  • Juice of 1 lime

  • Juice of 1 orange

  • 1 teaspoons salt

  • 5 cloves of garlic, sliced

  • 1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds)

  • 4 carrots, cut into large chunks

  • 1 large yellow onion, cut into large chunks

  • 2 baking potatoes, cut into large chunks

  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Combine the hot sauce, the juices and the salt. With a small sharp knife, make little slits all over the chicken and slide the garlic slices into the slits. Put any remaining garlic in the chicken cavity. Pour Devil Drops and juice mixture over the chicken, adding some to the cavity. Let stand, basting frequently for one hour. Or, place the chicken in a basting bag and turn frequently.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the chicken in a large baking dish. Add the carrots, onion and potatoes. Grind black pepper over the chicken and the vegetables.

Bake for 45 minutes, turning the vegetables and basting the chicken occasionally. Lower heat to 325 degrees and cook for another 45 minutes or until the chicken and vegetables are cooked through.

Moghul Chicken Dilruba

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This rich, spicy-sweet chicken dish from northwestern India has distinct Moghul influences. “Dilruba” means “sweetheart.” The Moghuls controlled most of India from 1526 until 1839, leaving behind some of India’s most famous architecture, including the Taj Mahal. The Moghul emperors loved to eat, and twenty-course meals were common in the royal courts. Not surprisingly, Moghul rule had a greater influence on Punjabi cuisine that that of any other conqueror.

Ingredients

  • 2 medium onions

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger root

  • 6 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil

  • 1 3 to 4 pound chicken, skin removed, cut into small serving pieces

  • 1 cup fresh plain yogurt

  • 1/4 cup almonds

  • 1/4 cup walnuts

  • 1/4 cup melon, pumpkin or squash seeds (optional)

  • 1 cup milk

  • 2 tablespoons garam masala

  • 1 teaspooon ground turmeric

  • 2-3 fresh green cayenne peppers, minced, or substitute any small, hot chiles such as serranos or jalapeños

  • Salt and ground cayenne to taste

  • A few strands whole saffron, soaked in two tablespoons warm milk

  • Minced fresh cilantro and whole almonds and cashews for garnish

Instructions

Put the onions and ginger into a blender or food processor and process to a smooth paste (about the consistency of apple sauce). Heat the butter in a heavy, deep skillet and gently brown the onion mixture, stirring often.

Add the chicken and yogurt. Combine well and cook over medium heat until the mixture becomes rather dry and the chicken begins to brown.

Grind the almonds, walnuts, and melon seeds until quite fine. Stir them into the milk. Add this mixture to the chicken along with the garam masala, turmeric, chile peppers, salt and ground cayenne pepper.

Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the chicken is very tender and the sauce is very thick (about 10 to 15 minutes). Stir in the saffron and milk mixture and cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Garnish with cilantro and nuts and serve hot.

Venison Chili

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This is the universally favorite way to prepare venison. Venison is quite lean yet very flavorful. It makes a wonderful chili that doesn’t have a fatty flavor. The slow cooking, chiles, and seasonings tremove any wild taste the meat might have. It freezes beautifully, so double the recipe and freeze a batch for another evening meal. Substitute elk if you wish.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil

  • 1 ½ pounds coarsely ground venison

  • 1 cup coarsely chopped onions

  • 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic

  • ½ cup cooked, coarsely chopped bacon

  • 3 small jalapeño chiles, seeds and stems removed, finely chopped

  • 2 tablespoons ground New Mexican red chile

  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin

  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • 1 12-ounce can beer, dark preferred

  • 1 12-ounce can tomato paste

  • 1 16-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Instructions

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and brown the venison. Add the onions, garlic, and cooked bacon. Stir in the peppers, chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt.

Add the beer, tomato paste, and stir in the drained beans. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to prevent burning and to combine flavors. Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer the mixture for 20 to 30 minutes.

Southwestern Stuffed Red Bell Peppers with an Attitude

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The attitude comes from the green chiles–they definitely add the spice and heat for this otherwise ordinary dish. I like to stuff a small wedge of jalapeño Monterey jack cheese into the center of the pepper just before it’s finished cooking. That adds even more “attitude”!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground beef

  • 1 cup chopped onion

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce

  • ½ cup chopped green chiles

  • 1 cup cooked rice

  • 1/8 teaspoon cumin powder

  • ½ teaspoon ground thyme

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground savory

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 5 large red bell peppers, stems and seeds removed, roasted over flames, skins removed

  • 5 small wedges of jalapeño Monterey jack cheese

Instructions

Brown the beef in a large skillet. Add the onion and the garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Drain or blot off excess grease. Add one can of the tomato sauce, green chiles, rice, cumin, thyme, savory, salt, and pepper to the sauteed meat mixture and mix well.

Stuff the meat mixture into the bell peppers. Place the stuffed peppers in a shallow glass baking pan, so they are all stacked against each other and won’t fall over. Pour the second can of tomato sauce into the pan. Add enough water to bring the liquid depth up to ½ inch. Tent the peppers with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven, basting the tops of the peppers with the tomato sauce base.

Add a wedge of the cheese into the center of each pepper when they are almost finished baking.

Nma Jim Jeaw Sauce

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As this is always a homemade concoction, recipes vary for both ingredients and amounts. The rule-of-thumb is “to taste.” A key element that all agree on is the difficult-to-make roasted, powdered rice which I‘ve yet to find on U.S. market shelves. To make it, sauté rice in lime juice until browned but still with a trace of moisture then grind into a medium powder. This condiment is used to spice up any dish. Try it over rice pilaf.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ tablespoons ground, roasted rice

  • 1 ½ tablespoons chile powder

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • 1 tablespoon tamarind sauce

  • ½ tablespoon sugar (palm sugar is best)

  • 1 shallot, peeled and sliced

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce

  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 1 cilantro root, minced (optional)

  • 1/4 cup water or more if needed

Instructions

In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Transfer to a blender and puree. Return the sauce to the bowl and place it in the regfrigerator for at least 3 hourse for the flavors to blend and the rice to soften. Garnish with minced parsley, mint, and spring onion.